L-glycine is a white to cream crystalline powder, odorless and non-toxic. Soluble in water, almost insoluble in ethanol or ether. It is used in pharmaceutical industry, biochemical testing and organic synthesis. It is an amino acid with the simplest structure in the amino acid series and is not essential for the human body. It has both acidic and alkaline functional groups in the molecule. It can be ionized in water and has strong hydrophilicity, but it is an nonpolar amino acid soluble in polar solvents but insoluble in nonpolar solvents, and has a high boiling point and melting point. Adjusting the acidity and alkalinity of the aqueous solution can cause glycine to have different molecular forms.